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5 THINGS YOU NEED TO START DOING-TODAY

5 Things You Need To Start Doing—Today

• Consume complex carbohydrates throughout the day. Our bodies are extremely efficient at metabolizing carbohydrates for energy. Thus, it makes sense to consume complex carbohydrates (fiber and starches) throughout the day so that we have the energy we need to perform optimally as opposed to at night when we are most sedentary.

• Plan, plan, plan. Whether it’s planning and preparing meals ahead of time or planning workouts, planning is KEY to achieving our health goals. When we don’t plan, we set ourselves up to fail. Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. associate director for the Motivation Science Center at the Columbia University Business School and author of Nine Things Successful People Do Differently emphasizes focusing on what you will do rather than what you will not. Rather than focusing on what behavior needs to change, create a plan to replace that behavior.

• Choose whole foods. Avoid consuming processed foods whenever possible. Processed foods are packed with manmade chemicals and preservatives that are not natural to our body’s digestive and metabolic systems. Many digestive disorders, such as Irritable Bowl Syndromes, can be treated simply by consuming a whole foods diet.

• Avoid labeling foods as good or bad. Are you really going to never eat a slice of pizza again or be the person who refuses to eat their own birthday cake? Rather than putting foods off limit, consider what they do for your body. If they don’t do much aside from pleasuring the taste buds, limit them. Moderation is key. In fact, restrictive dieters are more at risk to develop binging habits.

• Reward yourself (but not with food, you aren’t a dog). Rewarding yourself for your accomplishments, big or small, helps to reinforce positive behavior. However, those rewards should not involve food which can counteract hard work. Treat yourself to a new workout shirt, a pair of dope kicks, a magazine subscription, etc.